[2] A breeding adult has a pair of orange caruncles above the base of the bill in front of the eyes as well as blue eye-rings.

[3] The birds are present year round at Heard Island, where they breed annually in colonies.

[6] The birds forage locally in shallow coastal waters,[6] with the diet consisting primarily of polychaetes and fish.

It is listed as Vulnerable under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999,[6] because the population is small, localised and subject to fluctuations in breeding success due to weather conditions and food availability.

A potential threat is climate change affecting sea temperatures and thus food supply.